Neymar’s coming of age finally delivers what PSG paid £200m for to make this Champions League his own

Paris Saint-Germain put years of European calamity behind them thanks to Neymar’s ability to rise to the occasion that leaves them one step away from their ultimate dream

It was, in so many ways, the difference. That didn’t just apply to the night, but also what it represented for Paris Saint-Germain and for Neymar.

In the 42nd minute, the Brazilian so exquisitely exploited RB Leipzig’s implosion with a divine touch for Angel Di Maria. Implicit in it was Neymar’s knowledge of his and his side’s utter superiority.

It both settled and summed up the game, thereby offering its defining image.

That makes quite a change for PSG. The defining images have usually been collapse or calamity.

Last year against Manchester United, it was the total opposite from Neymar. Rather than the influential star at the centre, he was utterly powerless in the stand, watching on as his side suffered what was only their second most embarrassing collapse in the competition.

The first had come two years before that in Barcelona, with Neymar brilliant. He just happened to be on the other side to PSG.

What was so symbolic and significant about Tuesday’s semi-final was that it felt like Neymar’s best performance in the competition since that night in 2017. Similarly, it surely isn’t a coincidence that the Brazilian didn’t actually play in any of those humiliations, and that they’ve at last got to the final now he’s front and centre. This is what he can be, this is his true influence.

There were admittedly fair questions about Neymar in that time, as regards both his conduct and his attitude. The Brazilian just seemed such a disappointing waste of extreme talent for so much of his time at PSG.

There cannot be such criticisms now. That is what feels so different. Neymar just looks in the kind of mindset where he wants to make the best of that talent, and make this Champions League season - and the trophy - his own.

Neymar was able to make the semi-final all about himself in a positive way (Getty) (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

There’s just such a focus to him. Even his self-indulgences, so often such a criticised part of his game, feel like they have a greater purpose.

That was exactly the case with that exquisite touch for Angel Di Maria. You could argue it wasn’t totally necessary, but him doing it actually made the goal more likely, and made it look better. That's exactly how greater talent should be used.

It also reflects how Neymar is a genuinely unique player. He may never be as good as Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but he actually may be better to watch. That doesn’t even apply to the trickery or audacity. It is his fluidity. When he’s on form, he just flows.

It’s one of the most distinctive things about his game, the manner he sets up moves - setting the stage for himself - only adding to the show.

Neymar was signed three years ago with Champions League nights like this in mind (AFP) (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Neymar is almost cobra-like when he’s on the ball, standing up straight and tall as if daring a defender to come at him, before going low and slinking away in such a sleek manner. It is magnificent to watch.

But Neymar is again becoming more than a player who is just good to watch. He is the player that is becoming the difference.

It is telling we are saying this after a night when he didn’t even score. It illustrates how he’s developing into that leader.

One step remains. This is the match that PSG signed him for, breaking the world record in such incredible fashion. It’s debatable whether any player can ever be worth that.

Neymar isn’t responsible for his fee, though. He’s merely showing he’s worth the trouble, and the hype.